May 16, 2022

During the 1980's, the United Nations began focusing attention on issues related to the family. In 1983, the Commission for Social Development in its resolution on the role of the family in the development process requested the Secretary General to enhance awareness among decision makers and the public of the problems and needs of the family, as well as of effective ways of meeting those needs. In 1993, the UN General Assembly decided in a resolution that May 15 each year should be observed as The International Day of Families. In September 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals aiming to eliminate poverty, discrimination, abuse and preventable deaths, address environmental destruction, and usher in an era of development for all people, everywhere. Families and family-oriented policies and programs are vital for the achievement of many of these goals.

The theme for 2022 is “Families and Urbanization”. To quote from un.org:

“Urbanization is one of the most important megatrends shaping our world and the life and wellbeing of families worldwide.

Sustainable urbanization is related to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets, such as SDG-1 (Poverty eradication); SDG-3 (Good health and well-being); SDG-11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable); and SDG-10 (Reduce inequality within and among countries). These SDGs and their targets depend on how well urbanization is managed towards benefitting families and enhancing the well-being of all generations living in cities.

This year’s theme, "Families and Urbanization", aims to raise awareness on the importance of sustainable, family-friendly urban policies.”

You can view the World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization.

On the subject of sustainability, we also suggest this article.

And finally, here are some fun family bonding activities that you could do around the house:

1. Plant a Family Garden
2. Create a family meal together
3. Create family stories
4. Backyard camping
5. Create a home-made obstacle course
6. Make a family tree

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